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Mass Effect: Deception/The Road to Nairida
The Road to Nairida Sharon left the Livis camp at sunset that night, accompanied only by a trio of operatives - Arine Leoptos, Mirole T'Shar, and Thedala Visin. The distance from the camp to the old city of Nairida could be crossed in a few hours at high speed, but the road was bordered on both sides by high cliffs, and Emmanuelle suspected that the batarians might be watching for anything that looked like a rescue party, and so she and her temporary companions drove their transport at a crawl at night. During the day, they found places to hide and rest. They had agreed that during the day, they would conduct watches in shifts, with two women watching while the other two rested. Sharon was paired with Leoptos, who, at a mere 113 years old, was the youngest of the three. She took advantage of the long watches to try and gain some insight into the operative they were seeking. "She keeps to herself," Leoptos told Sharon as they kept watch the second morning of their journey. "I'm afraid she didn't really tell any of the girls about herself." "Did you know her mother is a Matriarch?" "No, but it doesn't surprise me. She always seemed like she was trying to escape someone's shadow. Is her mother an admiral or something?" "Her mother is the Matriarch Eumenidia." Leoptos nearly choked on her coffee. "You're kidding, right?" "No. You've heard of her?" "Everyone in Livis has heard of her. The Matriarch owns nearly half the stock in the company. Ohh shit..." "So she's an investor looking to bail out her kid. It's nothing to worry about... right?" "All I'll say is, if Siani is Eumenidia's kid, we better hope she's alive." Sharon sensed from Leoptos' tone that she did not want to discuss the matter further. Seeking a new topic, she noticed the operative's ring, which was a brilliant gold and decorated by what appeared to be ruby inlays. "Are you married?" "Am I what?" Leoptos briefly looked like she thought she'd been insulted, but quickly regained her compsure. "Oh, you mean, am I bonded? It's the ring, right?" "It looks very expensive." Leoptos smiled. "My bondmate is a fifteen-year old salarian stockbroker, Iluxin Alos Mutiri... fuck, I can never remember the full name. I just call him Luxi." "He's only fifteen? Isn't that robbing the cradle?" Leoptos snorted. "He's a salarian, honey. Their lifespan is maybe thirty years, so he's middle-aged." She grinned. "I'm his midlife crisis." "He's very lucky, then." Sharon had meant it as an innocent compliment, but Arine gave her a look. An awkward silence followed, broken when T'Shar and Visin emerged from the tent. "Shift's over, ladies," Visin said, "Get your asses in the tent and sleep. We'll probably reach Nairida by tomorrow morning, so you'd better be ready in case there's someone waiting for us." She turned to Sharon, "And you better not try sleeping out here again." "What was that about?" Sharon asked, as she and Leoptos made their way to the tent. "They're a couple," Leoptos explained. "This mess came up just as they were about to celebrate their 50th anniversary, and it completely ruined their plans. And then there's you." "Me?" "Thedala's got a bit of a wandering-eye problem, and Mirole is... kind of a bitch, whereas you're like a very sexy and approachable human justicar." "What?" "Oh, come on. Thedala can't have been the first person to find you attractive. And don't tell me you're one of those women who only sleeps with men. At any rate, Mirole's been getting increasingly pissed off, so tonight Thedala will be performing damage control." "They're planning to have sex?" "Yes." Leoptos motioned towards the tent. "Left side or right side?" "I was thinking of sleeping outside again, maybe behind the tent." "Not an option. Mirole will go ballistic if she thinks you're watching her and Thedala. Don't worry, I don't bite." "What if I snore?" "I don't wake easily." "I might roll over on you or kick you." "I can take it." "I don't sleep easily." "We have sleep aids." "I..." Sharon tried to come up with another excuse, but was struggling. Leoptos gently pressed a finger to Sharon's lips. "Listen, honey, you're very pretty, and in a couple of years, maybe you might have a chance, but I'm very happily bonded right now. And besides, we have to be ready to leave in a few hours. Nothing is going to happen." Sharon turned bright red from mortification, but finally climbed into the tent. She borrowed some pills to ensure that she'd have a dreamless 6 hours of sleep. Thankfully, the pills lived up to their promise. Category:Articles by Gnostic Category:Chapters